A doorman and a concierge at a Midtown building have been fired after video appeared to show them failing to intervene in the assault of a 65-year-old Asian woman on the sidewalk outside.
The incident happened on March 29th outside a luxury condo on 360 West 43rd Street, when a man was seen in disturbing security footage knocking the woman down, then repeatedly kicking her in the head while shouting, "You don't belong here."
Footage of the incident also drew outrage for the apparent inaction of at least three bystanders, who can be seen watching the assault from the lobby of the building. After the attacker flees, one of the men appeared to close the door of the building, even as the woman is writhing on the ground.
The building's management company, Brodsky Organization, initially suspended a doorman and concierge who were on duty at the time. The two, whose names have not been released, have now been terminated.
"While the full lobby video shows that once the assailant had departed, the doormen emerged to assist the victim and flag down an NYPD vehicle, it is clear that required emergency and safety protocols were not followed," the Brodsky Organization said in a statement. "For this reason, their employment has been terminated, effective immediately. Our company is also committed to implementing a comprehensive retraining of building services staff companywide regarding proper emergency response protocols as well as anti-bias awareness and upstander-bystander interventions."
The doormen's union said in a statement that they had been notified of the termination, and the employees have filed grievances to challenge the firings.
"We take anti-Asian hatred, and all forms of discrimination, seriously," said Kyle Bragg, President of 32BJ SEIU. "32BJ members are immigrants and people of color themselves, subject to much of the same racism and violence that our AAPI neighbors face...We believe that all union workers, especially workers of color who are often the subject of unfair treatment on the job, have a right to a fair process as outlined in their contract."
A photo released by police of the man wanted in the attack of a 65-year-old Asian woman
Suspect Brandon Elliot, 38, has been charged with felony assault as a hate crime for the incident; he was previously convicted in 2002 of stabbing his mother to death in the Bronx, for which he served 17 years for the murder charge, and was released on lifetime parole in 2019.
The woman has since been identified as Vilma Kari, a Filipino immigrant who's lived in New York for decades. A GoFundMe, which was started by Kari's daughter to help pay for her recovery and support other victims and AAPI organizations, has already raised over $250K in a few days.
"The security video that has gone viral has been the most difficult thing to watch, apart from the crime itself," Elizabeth Kari wrote. "There were many times that I wish someone would have stepped in." She noted that there was someone across the street from the attack who "yelled and screamed to get the assailant’s attention."
This assault was just one of a series of anti-Asian attacks in recent months, a worrisome rise that experts attribute to pandemic-related racism. As of last week, there have been at least 33 anti-Asian hate crimes recorded by the NYPD so far this year, up from 28 in all of 2020.
